Each and every one of us has been impacted by the recession and it may be sometime before we see relief. For the last several months we have been reminding consumers that an Idaho potato costs less than 25 cents and we've recently developed a new program around this message, called "Watching Waistlines and Wallets."
This web-based resource housed on www.idahopotato.com is designed to help cost-conscious shoppers prepare meals that bank on flavor while saving cents.
We created this site because we know that while consumers are trying to maximize their meal-planning budgets it has become increasingly important for people to understand the nutritional ROI (return on investment) of every meal.
When it comes down to it, cost and convenience usually are considered more often than flavor or healthfulness. We've packaged all four of these factors into "Watching Waistlines and Wallets" and are excited to be able to offer so many recipes with this additional information.
This portion of the website is being supported by a national public relations campaign and the "Watching Waistlines and Wallets" theme has become a key message in almost all of our recent communications.
We began promoting the "less than 25 cents messaging" during Potato Lovers Month in February. Denise Austin, the IPC spokeswoman, relayed this key message in more than 30 radio and television interviews she conducted. Dawn Wells, who played Mary-Ann on the popular TV program Gilligan's Island, also spoke of the potato's nutritional ROI during the 29 radio interviews she conducted on the IPC's behalf.
With no indication that the economy will significantly improve in the near future, we plan to continue to promote "Watching Waistlines and Wallets" and even build on it by adding more recipes and other program elements.
I encourage you to visit the site and pass it along to your friends and families who are looking for healthy affordable potato recipes.